American (U.S.) History for Kids: Part 1 Weeklong Camp (Live)

This live class is a multi-part exploration into the birth and development of the United States of America with focus on geography, economy, government, foreign affairs and the people who helped to shape the new nation. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on the development of social studies skills, critical thinking skills, geography skills and the multicultural nature of society in the United States of America. 

We will study the following topics over the course of 5 days: 

Brief Overview:
Day 1:  The 13 Colonies in North America 
Day 2:  Conflict in the Colonies (Road to Revolution) 
Day 3:  The American Revolution
Day 4:  The American Revolution
Day 5: Creating a New Nation- The Constitution and Bill of Rights



Detailed Overview:

Day 1:  

Colonies in North America:  We will learn about early English colonization in North America.  This will include discussion about the Indigenous Peoples who were present In North America upon early European arrival.	

Conflict in the Colonies:  We will learn about the events and circumstances that drove the English colonists to rebel against the British Monarchy, such as the Proclamation of 1763, the various tax acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Bostin Tea Party.  It is noted that perspectives from all sides will be presented in a factual manner.


			
Days 2 & 3:  

Conflict in the Colonies:   We will continue our discussion about the events and circumstances that drove the English colonists to rebel against the British Monarchy that will find the English colonists taking up arms and beginning battle against the British army.

American Revolution:  We will learn at the American Revolution, focusing on key battles and events from 1775 to 1783, as well as the hardships the Continental army experienced early on during the American Revolution.				
	
Day 4:  

Creating a New Nation- The Constitution and Bill of Rights:  We will discuss the framing of the Constitution with first failed attempt to create a government with the Articles of Confederation, with the Constitution and Bill of Rights stemming from the Philadelphia Convention. Discussion will include the critical issue of population and slavery, as well as how the Constitution designed our government to operate, influenced by previous important documents, nations, and peoples, including, but not limited to, Greek Philosopher Aristotle, the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (a.k.a the Iroquois Confederacy), the writings of John Locke, and Virginia's Declaration of Rights.


In this class, we will be learning about times in history that are sensitive or mature, such as genocide, imperial European colonization, slavery, and other institutions of discrimination during the time period of 1585 to 1791.  We will also include the perspectives of marginalized people impacted during this time period in pre- United States history. It is advised that such topics will be accurately discussed in a kid-friendly manner.


Students will demonstrate their learning through active participation in the live meetings.  If students cannot attend a live meeting, students will demonstrate their learning by viewing the posted recording and submitting a detailed response about the current recording to the Outschool classroom as directed by the teacher.			

By the end of the 4 days, students will:
 
Demonstrate and strengthen abilities to present historical information.
Strengthen note-taking skills.
Compare/contrast/synthesize and analyze information.
Exercise critical thinking and communication skills in formal and informal discussions.